Lack of staff forces Brisbane café to shut its doors
A Brisbane riverfront café has been forced to shut its doors due to a massive staff shortage leaving them with 15 unfilled positions, including a $90,000 position for a head chef.
Owner/manager of Medley, Nick Pavlakis, did not receive a single applicant for the head chef role even though the job would earn someone $85,000 to $90,000 a year, plus superannuation.
Pavlakis was also advertising for a sous chef ($75,000 plus super), chef de partie ($60,000 to $65,000 plus super), restaurant and events manager ($75,000 plus super), assistant manager ($67,000 to $72,000 plus super) and head barista ($63,000 plus super).
A bar manager, casual wait staff, casual cooks and kitchen assistants are also needed.
“It has been very challenging post-Covid and seems to have culminated into this critical situation since late last year,” he said.
“We have up to 15 positions available to get back to normal operations.
“The lack of skilled labour is certainly the most challenging (problem).
“I’m confident things will improve, however the time it is taking is painfully slow.”
Pavlakis opened the restaurant in 2015 with his wife Serena.
According to Pavlakis a big part of the problem was the decline of overseas students in the area due to Covid border closures. For Pavlakis the nearby Shafston International College made up a great deal of the student population who acted as wait staff.
The café posted to their FB page: “Due to an ongoing staffing crisis we are unable to operate for the foreseeable future as we are currently without a chef.
“We are working hard behind the scenes to recruit; however, the current labour market is the worst it has been in our seven years of operation.
“For several years, we have been actively seeking recruitments.
“Unfortunately, the skilled labour shortage is ongoing, and we are unable to fill several key positions.
“Consequently, we will be closed for a short period until we are in a better position (and) better staffed.
“We hope to resume normal operations as soon as possible.”
Irit Jackson, 18th May 2022
